Machine for imparting agitation to commodities



Feb. 23, 1943. H.. c. DEARBORN 2,311,980

MACHINE FORv IMPARTING AGITATION TO COMMODIIVIES Filed Aug. 19, 1940 2Sheets-Sheet l Feb. 23, 1943. H. c. DEARBORN 2,3?1115980 MACHINE FORIMPARTING AGITATION 'ifo com-MODITIESV Filed Aug' 19 1940 2Sljeti-*Sheet I2 Patented Feb. 23, 1943 UNHTED STATES PAT-ENT OFFICEMACHINE FOR nvmm'riNG AGITATION To coMMoDITIEs Henry C. Dearborn, MasonCity, Ill.

Application August 19, 1940, Serial No. 353,185

7 Claims.

This invention pertains to means for mechanically agitating packagescontaining more or less liquid products such as paints or othercommodities by which to bring about a thorough mixture of the liquidsand solids.

An object is to provide in machine for the above purpose what isbelieved to be a new mechanical motion as applied to mixing andagitating devices wherein certain forces are met by opposing forces ingiven direction of movement by which balancing of machine parts willresult during action to the end that vibrations will be measurablyreduced or entirely suppressed.

Another object is to furnish a power operated machine for carryingpackaged liquid commodities wherein the parts thereof carrying thecommodities are mounted in opposed position for movement in oppositedirection by which the moving force of one of them will be offset by themoving force of the other to bring about an action of such machine thatwill have but little or no vibration due to the balancing of the namedforces.

Other objects and advantages besides the above will appear in thefollowing specification aided by the appended drawings forming parthereof, wherein Figure 1 is a front elevation of a machine involving myinvention;

Figure 2 is a plan of the same;

Figure 3 is an end elevation of the mechanism;

Figure 4 is a plan of parts shown in Figure 1, parts being shown insection, the whole being produced on a larger scale than that of theother figures;

Figure 5 is a plan of a structure of a slightly different form, as tocertain parts, from those illustrated in the earlier gures, and

Figure 6 is an end elevation of parts shown in Figure 5.

The purpose herein, as intimated, is that of providing a machine, theparts of which are practically balanced by balancing of forces, i. e.,setting one force against another, and this may be done in dierent waystwo of which are illustrated herein as showing that the invention is notconfined to any given structure for the accomplishment of said purpose.

In the iirst three gures l denotes a table suitably mounted, upon which,in this instance, is fixed a cavitated housing 2 terminating in spacedhalf-bearings 3, bearing caps 4 being secured thereto in any usualmanner. And it may be noted that the housing and table may be anintegral part, the whole answering as a support. Mounted in the bearingsthus provided is a shaft preferably of two parts 5, 5 each shaft portioncarrying one half of a pulley 6, the two halves of the latter beingnormally xed relatively by bolts 6', for example, forming with theshaftpart a complete rigid whole, the pulley being Within the namedhousing 2.

The shaft thus completed is of novel form in that, as shown in Figure 4,at each end thereof outside the bearings 3, 4 is a shaft-extension 1each of which lies at an angle to the axis of the main portion 5, 5', itbeing noted that these both extend away from the axis of the main shaftrotation, it being understood that the axial line of'each said extensionlies in the same plane as that in which lies the axis of the main shaftportion. In the present instance the axial line of the extensions wherethey join the main shaft are oiset; radially from the axis of the latterand during rotation of the whole the outer free ends have a circularorbital motion, the axis of the said main shaft being the center aboutWhich the orbit is described.

Engaging about each extension 'l is a sleeve 8 (Figs. 1 and 2) which isrigidly connected by means of a radially disposed arm 8' to a plate 9,which together with an upper companion plate I0 serves to carry a can orother package A whose contents is to be agitated.

In this connection the plate 9 includes a pair of spaced upstanding rodsIlv (Fig. 3), for example, slidable on which is the named upper plateI0. The latter includes on an extension I2 thereof a grasping piece orhandle I3 also slidable on the named rods. Interposed between the platel0 and the said handle I3 is a member I4 which at one end engages aboutthe rods Il. Expanding springs l5, in this instance encircle the rodsand exert pressure between the member and the extension l2. Carried bythe member lll` is a threaded cranked member lil engaging upon the plateIIJ by which a can to be operated upon may be clamped upon the plate 9,the whole structure involved, for the sake of brevity, being termed acarrier in certain of the claims to follow. The springs tilt vthe memberI4 on the rods l l so that said member supported'by the cranked memberis in position to grip said rods iirmly, whereupon the said crankedmember ID when operated will create clamping pressure upon the plate l0;

The plates 9 and lil together with the structure just named, are thusspaced by the arm 8' a substantial distance laterally from the axis ofshaft 5, and are as a Whole, jointly supported both by the sleeves 8 andshaft extensions l as well as means now to be described. That is to say,I5 and I' indicate an extension on the lower plate 9 and the table I,respectively, while extending between them at a point below the carrierand freely engaging each is a link I8, (Fig. 3) the parts being soconstituted that the weight of the plate structure described will besupported thereby, yet permitting free action of the carrier, theextension and link being termed means As constructed herein, as onemethod answering the purpose desired, the said extensions I5 and ilterminate each in a ball, the link ends having shell portions to engageabout said balls while permitting the free action named.l

The supporting portions may, of course, involve clamping portiontherefor may naturally be accommodated to the walls of the container inthat position as being within the purpose of the invention. Y

The form shown in Figure 5 may involve a shaft 2| straight throughoutmounted in bearings 4. Outward from each said bearing between the sameand the shaft end may be a ball type of enlargement 22, for example,while outward from each oi' the latter near each shaft-end is aneccentric 23.

- enlargement 22 and an adjacent eccentric is a the abutting of theshell portion at each end of the link upon the extensions adjacent theballs of such extensions, the weights of the carrier naturally tendingto force the link toward the extension Il'.

At I9 is indicated a motor suspended below the support or table i, abelt 29 trained over the pulley of the motor being likewise trained overthe said pulley 6.

In Figure 4 is shown a manner of manipulation of parts whereby a beltmay readily be installed in operating position as a'replacement of thebelt 29. As previously stated, the pulley 6 is separable along a medianplane at right angles to the axis into two similar halves, each carryinga shaft section, said iigure denoting a change in position of theseparts axially in broken lines. The removal of the' bolts Gf permits thepulley-halves being lseparated sufliciently to admit of drawing thelooped belt up between them into position, and reassembling such halves.y

In the action of separating the parts vthe shaft sections can be shiftedendwise in their bearings 3, 4, and due to the fact that the platestructure 9, I!) can shift in a direction substan tially paralleling theaxis of the shaft 5, 5 at sleeve or member 24 corresponding to saidsleeve 8 described, and so formed as to provide a socket Z5 permitting afree shiftable rocking movement of said member, the halves of eachmember being separable as suggested by the structure lshown in Figure 6.

the link connection,Y is, l1, la 'nouiculty will be encountered in theshaft shifting act.

In the rotation of the said shaft 5,' 5' it'is clear that the ends ofthe shaft extensions 1,'inrrotation, Figure 3, will have a circularorbit about the lcenter a of the main *sha-ft portions due to theoicenter and angular arrangement of such extensions. Since bothextensions 1 are offcenter at the same side of the main shaft'axis, andto the same degree, they will have like orbits. Due to this fact theplate structure 9,' l0 during action will be tilted in oppositedirections as indicated in broken lines in Figure 1. As a matter of factthe plate structures which should apparently swing in a straight linehave a movement more or less arcuate as the said vstructures follow thewinding action of the shaft eX- tensions, and at the same time the twonamed structures approach each-other and recede in thesarne timing, thecans or packages apparent-A ly having a slight elliptical movement at agiven point as indicated in broken lines at b in said Figure 1,the'longest diameter of the orbit sub stantially paralleling the mainshaft axis.

This peculiar action imparts to the contents of the can orcans anerratic movementwhich quickly causes a thorough mixing of solids and Yliquids.

It is to be understood that while the containers for the commodity to beagitated are shown in an upright position they may ,have a recliningposition and the structureof the As in the 'example illustrated in Figs,1 4, to the end that the forces set up by each carrier will be opposedto each other, the eccentrics 23V (Fig. 5) are' set in the same angularposition on the shaft to extend from the same side thereof so that theirlongest radii will lie in the same plane, which plane naturally includesthe shaftaxis.

In either form shown the action imparted to the cans is, of course, anoscillating one as viewed from the front, Figure 1 in dotted lines,

and a sidewise action as viewed in plan, Figure 2, i. e. toward and awayfrom' each other, the oscillations and sidewisemovements of thecansbeing in unison and traveling' in exactly opposite or opposeddirections.

In machines as usually provided for the purpose herein-named'considerable vibration -is present due to the unbalancedforces,especially where but a single can or package isbeing handled.

As distinguished from such machines the'type herein employs duplicatecan holding' parts whose forces in operation of the'machine'areVopposed'to each other to elect a'balancing-'of such forces since aforce set up in one canholding part in Aa given direction "is 'directlyoffset bythe other in an opposed direction. `Artl'the outset', ofcourse, all machine partsV are properlyV balanced against each other andeven Whenthe Ycontents of but one canjis'to bemixed Va companion can, orany other object'of 'equal'weight is employed as thenatural-balancetherefor in an otherwise balanced mechanism;V c Y' v In a study ofFigure 4 of the drawings it is to be noted that the axial line-of thejournaledshaft 5 when extended-meets the center lines o'f the extensionsl, 1, at a point within a sleeve., Such point therefore, since inilinewith said axis, has no movement and in this instance lies *substantiallymidway the length of'thesleeve.' 'The latter in the rotation ofthevextensiontherefore has a universal wabbling movement about such pointfor the commodity-mixing act, both ends Vof the sleeve 'describingcircular. orbits, andsince the sleeves must impart to the 'containeropposite directions of movement 'the forces 'are balanced againsteachother. Y

Naturally, if a sleeve were shifted outwardly or The balance of thesleeve, however, wouldparta'ke of a circular swing inaplane atrightf'ang'les to the direction of rotatioifsetting up thereby an un-Enelosing each Y balanced force. Since, however, the sleeves have aposition on the extension where their extremities lie each side of theplace of meeting of the shaft axis and the axis of the extension bothsaid extremities are made to swing about said point with the result,therefore, that the carriers for the containers are swung in opposeddirections paralleling the shaft axis and hence the forces are set oneagainst the other giving a consequent balance of those forces.

In the modification shown in Fig. 5, the outer end only of the sleeve 24describes a circular orbit, the inner end being centered on the axis ofthe shaft. Hence the sleeve partakes of a universal wabbling motionaround the ball 22. Since, however, similarly mounted sleeves areprovided at opposite sides of the pulley, the forces set up by them arebalanced, as above described.

At the high rate of motion employed the throw of the shaft extension 8and related structure carried thereby may be balanced by properlyweighting the .pulley 6 at 62, for example, or equivalent means.

The construction of the shaft 5, 5', 1 is believed to be novel whileapplicable to any machine for any other purpose than that for which itis used herein.

The means for clamping the can is convenient and quickly manipulated inaccommodating cans of varying height. Normally, the cranked member lengages the plate I0. Upon loosening the same the handle portion I3 maybe readily shifted along the rods Il to a desired position. The springsl5 constantly exert pressure upon the member I4 at the rod position-thereby keeping the widest separation of the latter and the handleportion and but a slight turn of the cranked member is necessary tobring about the can clamping act.

I claim:

1. In a machine for agitating commodities, a rotatably mounted drivingshaft having a straight portion with a line axis of rotation, a carrieradjacent each end of said shaft and each moveable in its entirety in itsorbit with respect to a fixed point for it on the axis of said shaft,each of said points being symmetrically disposed beyond the adjacent endof the straight portion of said shaft, each carrier being positionedeccentrically with respect to said shaft axis and on the same side ofsaid shaft axis and in the same relative position with respect to saidshaft, connecting means connecting each carrier to its adjacent end ofsaid shaft so as to be driven thereby in the orbit with respect to itsrespective xed point, and means on each carrier for securing a containerfor the commodity to be agitated, said connecting means at each end ofsaid driving shaft including a stu-b shaft extending as a continuationof said driving shaft and at an angle diagonal to said driving shaft,both of said stub shafts lying in a plane which includes the axis ofsaid driving shaft.

2. In a machine for agitating commodities, a rotatably mounted drivingshaft having a straight portion with a line axis of rotation, a carrieradjacent each end of said shaft and each moveable in its entirety in itsorbit with respect to a fixed point for it on the axis of said shaft,each of said points being symmetrically disposed beyond the adjacent endof the straight portion of said shaft, each carrier being positionedeccentrically with respect to said shaft axis and on the same side ofsaid shaft axis and in the same relative position with respect to saidshaft, connecting means connecting each carrier to its adjacent end ofsaid shaft so as to be driven thereby in the orbit with respect to itsrespective xed point, and means on each carrier for securing a containerfor the commodity to be agitated, said connecting means at each end ofsaid driving shaft including a stub shaft extending as a continuation ofsaiddriving shaft and at an angle diagonal to said driving shaft, bothof said stub shafts lying in a plane which includes the axis of saiddriving shaft, and both stub shafts extending on the same side of saidaxis.

3. In an agitating machine, a rotatably mounted driving shaft, anon-rotatable sleeve at each end of said driving shaft and disposed atan angle to the axis thereof, separate means a-t each end of saiddriving shaft between said driving shaft and the adjacent one of saidsleeves and adapted to be rotated by said driving shaft, each of saidmeans including support means on which its respective adjacent sleeve ismounted, theend of each of said means farthest from said driving shafthaving a portion eccentric with respect to said driving shaft androtatable therewith, whereby rotation of said driving shaft causes theend of said sleeves farthest from said driving shaft to travel in acircular orbit around the axis of said driving shaft and each of saidsleeves as a whole to execute a wobbling motion about a point on saidaxis, a separate carrier for an article to be agitated operativelyconnected to each of said sleeves, each of said carriers being spacedlaterally from the axis of said shaft and rigidly connected to itsrespective sleeve to move therewith, and separate means below eachcarrier cooperating with its respective sleeve for supporting eachcarrier in such manner that it is capable of free universal movement.

4. In an agitating machine, a rotatably mounted driving shaft, anon-rotatable sleeve at each end of said driving shaft and disposed atan angle to the axis thereof, separate means at each end of said drivingshaft between said driving shaft and the adjacent one of said sleevesand adapted to be rotated by said driving shaft, each of said meansincluding support means on which its respective adjacent sleeve ismounted, the end of each of said means farthest from said driving shafthaving a portion eccentric with respect to said driving shaft androtatable therewith, whereby rotation of said driving shaft causes theend of said sleeves farthest from said driving shaft to travel in acircular orbit around the axis of said driving shaft and each of saidsleeves as a whole to execute a wobbling motion about a point on saidaxis, a separate carrier for an article to be agitated operativelyconnected to each of said sleeves, each of said carriers being spacedlaterally from the axis of said shaft and rigidly connected to itsrespective sleeve to move therewith, and separate means below eachcarrier cooperating with its respective sleeve for supporting eachcarrier in such manner that it is capable of free universal movement,the axes of both said sleeves lying in the same plane with the axis ofsaid driving shaft and extending on the same side thereof.

5. In an agitating machine, a rotatably mounted driving shaft, anon-rotatable sleeve at each end of said driving shaft and disposed atan angle to the axis thereof, separate means at each end of said drivingshaft between said driving shaft and the adjacent one of said sleevesand adapted to be rotated by said driving shaft, each of said meansincluding support means on which its respective adjacent sleeve ismounted, the end of each of said means farthest from said driving shaftAhavingT a portion. eccentric .with respect vto said .driving shaft'androtatableV therewith, wherebyrotationof said driving shaft causesthe endof `saidsleevesfarthest .from said driving shaft to travel. in` aycircularorbit around the axis of saiddriving shaft, aiseparatearm'rigid With respect to .each of `said sleeves projecting radiallytherefrom and secured against rotation with respect to saiddrivingshaft, a separate carrier. for an article to be agitated rigidlyconnected with each of said arms at a point spaced from its vrespectivesleeve and adapted to move with said arm, and support means Vbelovv eachof said carriers serving in cooperation With said arm and said-shaft tosupport the respective carriers while permitting free universal movementthereof.

6. In an agitating machine, a rotatably mounted drivingshaft, eccentricssecured to said shaft one at each end thereof, sleeve members one eachsurrounding each of said shaft ends and each sleeve member having one ofits ends journalle'd on its respective eccentric, each sleeve memberhaving'means supporting the other end thereof on said shaft for freeuniversal movement With respect thereto, whereby rotation of saidshaftand said eccentric imparts a-Wobbling motion to 7. The combination vvithasupport includingay pair of spaced aligned bearings Xed .with respectto each other, of a pulley of two individual separable partslyingbetvveen the bearings, aniaxially extending shaft section'for eachpulleypart and secured thereto, each shaft engagingin a bearing,

' said pulley parts beingseparable alonga median plane at right angles`to its'axis into tWorsi-milar halves, each of Which provides one of.the side fianges of the pulley, and means to-fsecurethe pulley. halvesto each other iny assembled xed relation, said halves and shaft sectionsbeing movable axially away from each other in order topermit theinsertion of an bendless belt between the pulley halves into a positiontombe looped around said pulley. Y

HENRY C. DEAl'tBORll.

